I Hate You, I Love You
by PandaWolf180
Summary: Elena Gilbert absolutely hates Tyler Lockwood and his group of arrogant friends. But what happens when he finally decides to step in and stop his so called friends from taking things to the next level? Can she find it in herself to forgive him? Will a friendship begin to blossom between the two? Or maybe something more?
1. Chapter 1

The Vampire Diaries - I Hate You, I Love You.

If there was one person Elena hated most in her entire high school, it was Tyler Lockwood. He was such an arrogant jerk, always showing off in the halls in front of his mates. Worst of all, he joined in with their teasing and taunting. It was just her luck to end up being their target. Passing them in the halls, they'd shout unpleasent things at her, if she was unlucky enough to end up in a class with one of them, they'd pull her hair, trash her books, trashing her belongings during gym class, vandalising her locker, humiliating her in large crowds at school dances. Since becoming their target at the beginning of the previous year, school had been a living nightmare. But out of all the group, Tyler was the worst. Because he didn't take part in the sick little games. Instead, he stood by laughing. Showing off to his mates, he'd throw a rude remark in her direction every once in a while. Everyday she learned to walk the halls with her head down. She never fought back. Not once. At least...until one day when she finally snapped...

"Uh oh! Here we go again." Elena mumbled, losing Jeremy among the crowd, leaving her to face the boys alone. Bracing herself for the shouting and the teasing, he drew in a deep breath, letting it go just as she reached that part of the halls.

"Well well...was wondering when our little play thing would show up." One of the tallest boys yelled, causing the whole group to notice her. With a sigh, she ignored the comment and carried on past. Until they raced in front of her, blocking her path.

"Where do you think you're going princess?" One of them said, winking.

"Princess?...Don't you mean hooker?" The shortest one retorted, causing them all to laugh in sync, like drunks at a bar.

"Move out of my way." Elena demanded, ignoring their remarks and going to push past them, only to get shoved back.

"Seriously! Out of the way!" She said, this time raising her voice.

"Alright...we'll move, if Mr Quiet over there comes up with a good insult." The ring leader challenged, eyeing Tyler, who was stood in the back ground silently watching.

"Get out of my way!" She demanded again.

"Not until he says the insult to end all insults." The ring leader snarled, pointing at Tyler.

"I'm not gonna insult her. She's not worth the breath I'll waste or the skanky breath I'll have to endure as she fights back." Tyler said coldly, causing the other boys to cheer and encourage more.

"Access granted." The ring leader said, finally stepping out of her way.

"Jerks!" She hissed as she walked past.

"Woah, woah, woah...no one talks back to us and gets away with it." The ring leader's right hand man spat, shoving her into one of the lockers, trapping her as he closed in on her like an eagle does its prey.

"Man don't do that...she'll only go and squeal like pig to the slaughter." The ring leader said, but still, his right hand man refused to back down.

"Too far man. Do you want to get in trouble?" One of the other boys protested.

"She wouldn't dare." The right hand man replied.

"Enough! This is way too far! Name calling and book trashing is one thing but physical assault?...That's not cool." Tyler protested, standing up to the other boy and pulling him away.

"Dude, get off me!" The boy snapped, shrugging Tyler off.

"Dude, get a new hobby! Assaulting girls is sick." Tyler retorted, causing the boy to storm off in a huff.

"Great, now what do you suppose we do with her?" The ring leader questioned,

"Let her go. I think we've harassed her enough for one day, she's not gonna say anything. She doesn't have the guts to." He answered, the rest of the boys agreeing with him, and following him down the hall, finally leaving her alone.

Pushing herself off the locker, she straightened her jacket and headed down the hall in the opposite direction.


	2. Chapter 2

The Vampire Diaries - I Hate You, I Love You, Chapter 2

Marching up to his locker and slamming the door shut, in his face, Elena finally snapped. It was lunch break and in the past four hours and fifteen minutes, the group of boys had been out of control. That is until Tyler had suggested they go cause trouble elsewhere, but that was only after he'd joined in their games for the first three hours. And now, here she was, confronting him.

"Woah...easy there." He said, jumping back from the locker.

"Why?" She demanded, folding her arms and standing in the way of the locker to stop him from ignoring her. If he wanted to get into his locker, he'd have to answer her question. It was that simple.

"Why?...What do you mean why?" He asked, slightly confused, but also slightly mocking her anger.

"Don't play dumb. You know what I mean! What game are you playing? You join in on their stupidity one minute, the nex you're trying to convince them to find a new hobby. So what the hell are you playing at?" She demanded again, his mockery making her madder.

"Look...teasing, name calling and hair pulling is one thing, just stupid guy stuff. But what they pulled this morning...and in the last four hours, if I hadn't stopped them in fourth period when I did, then things could have esculated okay. I did it for their own good, and for yours." He explained, rolling his eyes at her demanding tone.

"Well listen up douche bag, and listen carefully! I don't need your help and I don't want it! Up until this morning all you ever did was call names and trash my stuff. So why stop now?" She said stubbornly.

"Fine! If you'd rather have it get so bad that you don't even wanna leave the house anymore then fine. Oh...and you're welcome by the way." He argued back sarcastically, "Now can I please get to my locker?" He added.

"Why don't you just shove me out of the way? It's what you'd do if all your friends were around. Go on...I dare you." She challenged, not budging from the locker.

"Okay okay...first of all, I've never even touched you, that was all them. Secondly, I'm not in the habit of hitting or shoving girls, and thirdly I don't show off to my so called 'friends' with violence. Name calling and teasing, that's completely different, but when it comes down to the physical side, I don't involve myself. So don't you dare challenge me to do anything like that ever! Because it's not gonna happen!" He snapped, trying to warn her away before his stupid mates came along.

"Name calling and teasing may not be physical and may not leave visible marks but trust me when I say it has the same damn effect and may as well leave visible marks. And no! I'm still not moving. You haven't answered my question. Why join in one minute and stop them the next?" She demanded, for the last time.

"Because they shouldn't treat girls like that. Okay! I don't even know why I'm still friends with them. But I draw the line at mistreating girls. While I don't participate in those particular activities of theirs, I don't like to sit and watch something that I don't like. There! Is that good enough for you?" He explained, then added, "And before you say that's just a lie. It's not. It's the truth. I'm not like them." He finished.

"Okay...yes. That's good enough. At least it's a proper answer, finally. Thank you." She concluded, stepping away from the locker.

"But if you want my advice, if you want them to leave you alone...you have to show them that you're not afraid of them. Stand up to them the same way you stood up to me just now. Show them that you are the opposite of everything they think you are. They think you're weak and brainless. Like the other cheerleaders. My point is, if you want them to leave you alone, then you can't let them back you into a corner. Fight back." He said, grabbing her attention again.

"Fight back huh?...I think I can do that. But...I'm willing to cut you a deal." She suggested.

"Go on..." He said curiously.

"I'll fight back and take a stand for myself and others that they have targetted if you stop pretending to be like them. Which means the name calling, the teasing and hair pulling, trashing of property stops, okay." She offered.

"Sounds like a pretty good deal to me. Yeah alright. We have a deal. But...I probably wouldn't have been friends with them for much longer anyway." He concluded.

"Okay then. I'm gonna leave you in peace now. Don't you go forgetting the deal though." She said before walking off down the hall, leaving him stood at his locker in silence and unmoving.

'That's the kind of person I should be friends with' He thought to himself, as he found a quiet and secluded spot on the school grounds to eat lunch in peace. What he had told her was the truth. In all honesty, he didn't know why he was friends with them. He hated people like that. They disgust him. Maybe it was time that he did something about it. Maybe it was time to change. The strange part was that Elena confronting him, only made him want to change. He wanted to be friends with her. Wanted to be on the outside instead of being in the loop. But how was he supposed to win her over? She hated his guts. To win her friendship, which he know he didn't deserve, he would have to pull something that was way beyond what anyone would expect from him. He'd have to do something that didn't make him look like a total ass. Something that made her want to be his friend.


	3. Chapter 3

The Vampire Diaries - I Hate You, I Love You Chapter 3

Waking to the sound of her alarm at four am, Elena was instantly wide awake. Throwing back the covers, she got up and walking over to the closet, she pulled out a bag that she had stored there long ago. Today was the day that she was going to take a stand. Fight back. Starting with her appearance. They all thought she was boring, had absolutely no idea what fun was. They were wrong and today, they would know it. Reaching into the bag, she pulled out the first item. A streaking kit. They wanted fun, well she would show them fun.

It didn't take all that awfully long to finish her hair. By half five, she had bright streaks and shiney waves. Now it was time for the next step. Wardrobe. Reaching back into the bag, this time she pulled out a dark blue pleited skirt along with a pair of black fishnet tights and a jet black tank top. Today, everyone would know who she really was. No one would dare mistake her for boring now. Especially not those immature boys...well not unless they wanted a serious genital injury.

As she entered the kitchen, Jenna was no where in sight while Jeremy was sat at the table eating a bowl of cheerios. He looked up as she came and joined him at the table, his eyes wide and mouth open, gawking. Going to get up from the table, he accidentally knocked the cereal bowl off, causing the milk to spill all over him.

"What's with you?" Elena asked, innocently.

"N..nothing. It's just...you can't do this...you can't dress like that." Jeremy said still in shock, while trying to scrub the milk off his trousers.

"Why not?" She asked, taken aback by his attitude.

"Because...this is hot. And you are...well...not." He said, struggling to finish the sentence.

"No one asked your opinion Jer. You're not exactly surrounded by squealing girls." Elena retorted.

"Ooh I'm wounded so deeply...how will I ever live it down?" Jeremy responded sarcastically.

"Whatever you little creep, I'm outta here." She stated, picking her bag up and heading for the door.

"Want me to walk with you?" Jeremy questioned.

"No way! I can take care of myself." She replied, turning and leaving without another word.

"Oh-kay then. Nice talking with you too grumpy." Jeremy muttered to himself, having just finished cleaning the spillage and now heading upstairs to change.

Taking her phone from her pocket and plugging in a pair of black headphones, placing the ear pieces in her ears, she turned the volume up full. Today, nothing was going to get her down, no one was going to even try pushing her around. No one was going to stop her.  
So with loud music blasting in her ears, she began her usual route to school, Down to the end of the road, turn the corner, down another street, round another corner, past the cemetary, a few more short roads and sharp corners later and she was stood across the street from the school. For a moment, just a split second, she thought about turning around and backing out of what she was about to do, but remembering everything they had done the day before, she ventured foward. Crossing the road, walking across campus, not paying attention to the funny looks and whispers that were happening around her, and without a further thought, entered the school through the double doors. Freezing for a moment, her eyes scanning the halls, looking for the group of jocks. Locating them at the far end of the hall, she began walking again. Slow at first, gradually getting faster and faster and faster. Before she knew it, she had reached the end of the hall, where the boys were. Just like she thought, they noticed her instantly, every one of them wide eyed in shock.

"Oh look...it's the Carrie reject." The smallest one shouted, as they quickly jumped in front of her blocking her path.

"Which dwarf are you again? Grumpy, is it? Or possibly Sneezy? Nah I think you look like more of a Dopey." She retorted, a cold and hateful look forming in her eyes.

"Don't talk to him like that!" The ring leader's right hand man snapped, shoving her back.

"You really shouldn't have done that." She commented leaving them confused for a moment. Then she put on the darkest smirk she could manage before swinging her fist, giving the right hand man a full on punch that sent him staggering back.

"Never speak to me like you can control me again." She warned, grabbing him by the shoulders and kneeing him in the nuts, then letting him drop to the floor.

"Now you've really done it little girl." The ring leader said, grabbing her by the wrists, "Sorry but now we're just gonna have to call this payback." He added.

"I don't think so!" She snarled, headbutting him causing him to let go of her, then grabbing his hand and twisting it until she heard a crack. Just as the ring leader yelled out, she shoved him to the side.

"Who's next?" She asked, turning to the others, feeling nothing but power fuelled by hate.

"You're not going anywhere!" The smallest one teased, creeping up behind her and grabbing her hair.

"Get off me Stumpy!" She demanded. Noticing his hand was just within her reach, she made sure his fingers were in her mouth before biting down hard. The short boy screamed, instantly letting go of her hair and slumping down by the others.

"Hey..." She heard a voice say and without thinking, she swung around, slamming her fist in the boy's face and swinging her foot, resulting in a harsh kick. Only then, did she realize just who she'd taken that final swing at.

"Oh my God! Tyler! Oops." She said, jumping back.

"What did you do that for?" He asked, slowly rising to a stand.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know it was you. I just heard someone creeping up behind me and...well, you know the rest." She explained, half laughing.

"More like I felt the rest...Damn it! That actually hurt." He stated, feeling his face, working out the damage.

"I'm sorry." She repeated, holding in more laughter.

"You're physcotic. You know that?" He said, finally regaining focus.

"No. It's called self defense. Look, I'm sorry, I didn't know it was you." She argued.

"Loosen up, it was a joke." He explained.

"Oh." She said, unable to say anything else.

"Woah...how did that happen?" He asked, only now noticing the difference properly.

"How did what happen?" She asked, wondering what he was talking about.

"I told you to take a stand and fight back but...I didn't think that you'd..." He began, but broke off, wondering if the sentence that he'd almost said would cause her to hit him again.

"Yeah well...I did. The question is, what are you still doing with these assholes?" She quizzed, remembering their deal.

"I wasn't going to speak to them but...I saw you talking to them and got curious. Though your right hook kinda makes me wish my curiosity hadn't got the better of me this time." He explained, looking at the three boys still struggling on the floor and cringing at the sight.

"Really?" She challenged.

"Yes. Really. I didn't realize that you would nearly bash my brains out, if I did...let's just say you should have a sign on your back saying approach with caution or Danger! Approach at your own risk, maybe even approach carefully, half a chance of death." He joked.

"Is that supposed to be funny?" She asked, clearly unimpressed.

"What? Funny? No...not funny at all." He quickly covered up, taking another look at the three boys, who'd only just managed to slump themselves up by their lockers.


End file.
